The African American Museum is embracing its role as a vital educational resource this summer through its Freedom School program. This initiative invites community members to explore a broad spectrum of Black history, starting from prehistorical Africa and extending to the 1619 slave trade and the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
This program pays homage to the original Freedom Schools created by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. These schools were part of a long-standing tradition of educational efforts aimed at empowering Black individuals, from the covert ‘pit schools’ for enslaved Africans in the 19th century to the citizenship programs initiated by educator and activist Septima Clark in the 1950s.
Faith Golden, the museum’s archivist, plays a crucial role in the program, sometimes stepping into the role of a teacher. She notes that due to restrictions on teaching Black history in many schools—prompted by federal diversity, equity, and inclusion bans and Texas legislation limiting the discourse on race and slavery—the resumption of Freedom Schools is increasingly vital.
“We don’t consider ourselves teaching African history or African American history. We consider ourselves teaching American history,” Golden remarked. “This is all part of our history, and it’s not whole and complete without us.”
Marvin Dulaney, the museum’s deputy director and chief operating officer, has long championed African American history education, launching courses at the museum over 35 years ago. With 50 years of experience as a history professor and a past president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, he highlights the significance of their work in addressing the void in public education.
Dulaney explains, “By restricting the teaching of Black history in our public schools, we lose the empathy that one would develop by learning the history of the various peoples in this country.”
Golden’s journey into Black history began as a student in one of Dulaney’s classes at the University of Texas at Arlington. Reflecting on her experiences, she recalls feeling ashamed of her lack of knowledge about her own history as a young Black woman.
“It’s become more and more important to learn and understand my history in the United States,” she asserted, emphasizing the consequences of being unaware of one’s own past.
Her quest for knowledge led her to the museum’s Freedom Schools in 2018, where she initially participated as a student. Her commitment to the program deepened over the years, eventually transitioning her role from student to teacher alongside Dulaney.
This year marks a significant milestone for Golden as she not only teaches but also steps into her new role as the museum’s archivist. “I’m taking a hobby into a mission,” she shared.
Currently, the Freedom School session is fully subscribed, but the museum plans to update its website with information about future sessions. Each year, this 10-week program welcomes community members of all backgrounds—including high school students, working professionals, and retirees—providing a rich educational experience that includes homework, readings, and quizzes.
Golden emphasizes the interactive nature of the program, stating, “We teach, but it’s also very conversational because we all have a perspective and an experience. So I would invite anybody and everybody to bring their knowledge and their experience to the class.”
The only requirement she insists upon is that students come with an open heart and mind, ready to engage in meaningful discussions about the intricate tapestry of American history.
image source from：keranews
